Tv Newsmen Suing Pilot

Two television news camera operators are seeking more than $100,000 from a Northeastern International Airways pilot who they claim sprayed their faces with a chemical solvent more than a year ago.

Reyes Burgos and Gary Freeman were on assignment for WSVN-TV, Channel 7, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Jan. 7, 1985, when the attack occurred, according to a suit filed in Broward Circuit Court on Tuesday by lawyer B.J. Cummins.

The two men were confronted by Gary William Harp, chief pilot for Northeastern, as they were filming a mechanics building for a news story about the airline`s plan to file for bankruptcy, Cummins said.

Harp ordered the camera operators to leave the public walkway. But as they turned to go, Harp allegedly sprayed a liquid containing glycol into their faces, eyes and hair, Cummins said.

The suit seeks a jury trial, more than $5,000 in compensation and more than $100,000 in punitive damages.